Thicker Than Water
by Azuki Bean
Summary: The mist hangs heavy with blood, and a daughter is born. During this war-torn era, children are turned into soldiers, shinobi are treated as tools, and a girl is trained to fight no matter what the sacrifice. But when alliances turn and she is brought face-to-face with the son of the White Fang, the child must now make the decision of where her loyalty truly lies. SI/OC. Slow burn.
1. Shizue

**Edited and reuploaded as of 8/25/2019. Please see A/N at bottom.**

 **Warning: There's blood and stuff.**

* * *

Blood was her first memory. Rust-scented, slippery, the child awoke bathed in the liquid. It clung to her nostrils and filled her ears, leaving her with senses muffled and an overwhelming urge to vomit. As she hunched over, with one palm planted on the floor and the other furiously swiping at her eyes, she gasped and gagged until the contents of her stomach emptied onto the wooden floorboards. Stray bits of chunky fluid splashed onto her frozen skin, pricking her with an uncomfortably warm sensation.

The child's innate response was to call for her mother, to get her out of this strange mess and comfort her, but the only sound that came out was a hoarse rasp that left her in a coughing fit, barely managing to squeeze out a few tears. Had she been crying beforehand? She couldn't remember. Resigned to open-mouth gapes and shivers, she was met only with the absence of feet padding along tatami mats and the missing coos of a soft feminine voice. The little girl, settling into whimpers, wiped at her eyes until she was finally able to have some semblance of vision and crawled out of her hiding place.

She didn't have to search far however, because just outside the kitchen cupboard, the child found a woman's crumpled body laying on ceramic tiles, cold and unmoving, hair crusted with blood. Her face was unrecognizable but the eyes that once shimmered with gold—and were now merely staring back at her dull and lifeless—were undeniably familiar to her.

Barely old enough to form coherent words, the concept of death was unknown to her, but the odd sensation of prickled skin and an increased heart rate told the child this was not normal. She then continued to wobble on her feet, preparing to search for her father's help, assuming she had one. The back of her skull was throbbing, and recalling past memories was becoming quite the challenge. Past the receding muffle of noise as blood clogged her ears, a distinct ringing was becoming more prominent. With every step that grew in urgency and breath that constricted her chest more and more, the girl tottered out the front door and all but shrieked for her father. He had to be out there, hacking away at firewood or sharpening his knives. She imagined her father was an important person. Strong, smart, warm, sturdy. Surely he would know what to do. He would know how to wake up her mother, how to clean up the mess of a kitchen, how to get the unbearable stickiness off her skin and out of her pores. How to stop the ringing in her ears that seemed to grow only louder with every heartbeat.

And then everything became silent all at once.

She stood just past the doorway, stopped dead in her tracks, gawking at the sight before her. There, propped up against the picket fence, sitting in a pool of red that soaked into the earth and scraggly grass, with an entire limb missing, was her father. The flies were already beginning to gather.

This, the child understood. Her father was strong, yes. And her father often fought with other people for work too, this she also knew. A faint memory informed her that for days, sometimes months, he would be away on missions, while the child and her mother patiently waited for his return to the cottage hidden deep in the woods. Sometimes he would return home with a broken limb, crutches, or just plain exhaustion, but the fact remained that he always _returned_. The only exception to this—her parents had once explained to her before bed—was if her father lost a fight.

She stared at his hanging jaw, the flies buzzing around the socket where his right arm had once been attached to his torso, and the whites of his eyes staring up blindly at the rustic sky. The child was able to grasp the fact that her father had lost, and to lose meant that he could no longer return. Her father was gone.

The child could do nothing but shriek at the sight. Raspy cries escaped her throat as she scrambled to her father and violently shook him, sending the flies into a frenzy. Cold, and stiff, he barely budged underneath her touch. Her cries bounced off the foliage of the trees and echoed throughout the forest. She did not know why her father was alone, who he had fought with, why her mother was still asleep on the kitchen floor, why her head was still throbbing, or why everything was soaked in blood and cold wetness was beginning to cling onto her skin. But what she did know was that she was terribly, terribly alone.

A voice somewhere in the recesses of her mind whispered, _"Get help."_

The child's mouth instantly clamped shut as her face turned towards the sky. Fog was slowly rolling in from over the mountains as the darkening hue of a deep auburn began to creep. Evening was rapidly approaching and she was running out of time. Dashing past the wooden gate onto the beaten track leading to the main road, the little girl pumped her stubby legs and swung pudgy arms, pushing her lungs as hard as they could go as she shrieked frantically. The number of peddlers that passed through the main road on their way to the hidden village would begin to decrease as nightfall approached. She had to find help.

As if granted by the grace of _kami_ , three shinobi who just so happened to be returning from an escort mission heard the unmistakable cries of a child. With their captain's signal, the trio immediately changed course to search out the source of the sound. Bounding through the trees, they were able to smell her approach before visibly seeing her. The thick stench of blood and rotting flesh filled the air. One gagged, and the captain at the forefront signaled for them to stop. Landing in a clearing, the squadron found a little girl no more than four—with snot dripping down her nose, face streaked in mud and crusted in red, and blood-shot eyes honing in on them. Her mouth opened wide and she screamed and hollered about how her parents were asleep and they wouldn't wake up.

The leader sent the two shinobi flanking him to go investigate while he stayed behind with the child. Dawning a gray flack jacket with a hitae-ate strapped tightly to his forehead, he loomed over her small figure, hand poised to reach into his weapon pouch at a moment's notice. In this time of civil strife with the nation just on the brink of war, one could not even lower their guard against a child.

"State your name." His voice was not the gentle and soothing kind one would expect if an adult were speaking to a child in distress. It was direct and to the point. He did not have the time or energy to make the child feel comfortable, and during these hardened times, people could not afford the luxury of having something as precious as childhood.

"Shizue," the girl sounded out slowly. The name felt foreign on her tongue.

"Where are your parents, Shizue-kun?"

"They're sleeping," she whispered.

The man frowned at this as he transferred his weight onto his right. The light of the setting sun caught on his hitae-ate, stealing the child's attention. In a distant memory, she had imagined the ghost of a swirl and leaf engraved into the metal, however, that memory seemed to be misplaced since the man before her was sporting an entirely different insignia: one with four wavy lines placed an equal distance apart.

Two bodies of water materialized beside the man before taking the form of the shinobi who had just disappeared minutes ago, causing Shizue to jump back.

"Status report," the man stated, not once taking his eyes off of her.

"Captain. We discovered the bodies of Tsukemono Daichi-san and a civilian woman approximately two kilometers north, both deceased on site."

"How is the damage?"

"An official autopsy will need to confirm, but it appears the woman suffered a fatal head wound. We found her inside the house. Daichi-san was within the vicinity, where it appears he engaged a hostile. His right arm was completely removed from its socket and he shows signs of excessive hemorrhaging before passing. Judging from the scene and decay, they were likely attacked sometime this morning."

The captain closed his eyes and sighed. "A premeditated attack then. Any indications of ninjutsu usage?" Translation: were they possibly up against civilians or shinobi?

"Most likely."

"So this child has been lingering around for almost half a day," the captain said as he stared at her. From the pocket of his grey flak jacket, he procured a handkerchief and proceeded to roughly wipe her face. Turning his head to the sensor of the group, he asked, "Did you detect any others in the area?"

"No, sir. I scoped out the area but couldn't find any lingering chakra signatures."

"A jonin and a civilian," the captain mumbled. "To have Daichi-san taken out so close to the village is a major threat to our security. This needs to be reported to the Mizukage immediately."

The other two nodded in unison. Giving Shizue a once over before scooping her up, the trio bounded for the trees yet again.

* * *

Hidden behind curtains of thick mist and nestled in the crevices of jagged mountains, the village of Kirigakure rippled and pulsed within the cluster of islands known as the Land of Water. Green canopy sprouted from conical rooftops, waterfalls sprang forth from rocks, and cliffs melded with the terrain, all accompanied by the scent of rain and moss assaulting the senses. Only shinobi or civilians familiar with the geography were able to easily traverse the natural barriers. If one did not belong to either category, it was best to hire a dedicated guide or risk slipping on a rock and falling to your death hundreds of feet below.

Much like the architecture the Hidden Mist was so fond of, the Mizukage's office resided in a large building at the end of the hallway that seemed to curve for miles, with the room scooped out to be perfectly round on all sides. An engorged tropical fish was encased in an aquarium that spanned half the entirety of the room, eyeing the newcomers with a silver eye.

"She's covered in blood," the elder noted as he squinted at the grimy child standing square in his office.

With golden eyes and cropped black hair matted with blood, Shizue stood just barely able to peer over his desk. From what she could see, however, was an elderly man seated just opposite of her. His skin sagged and drooped around his eyes, long white wisps of hair cascaded down the sharp corners of his shoulders, with tips dipping just below her field of vision. Similar in shape to the buildings dotting the village, a conical blue cap cast dark shadows over his face. His eyes were squeezed tight, making her unable to see what he was staring at, but no doubt he was looking. The man smiled in what may have been an attempt to appear friendly, but his tea-stained teeth made the child shrink back from the edge of his desk and stare at her crusted hands.

"I tried my best to make her presentable, Mizukage-sama," the captain spoke.

The Sandaime slowly reached a thin hand to remove his cap and place it on the desk with a gentle _tak_. This caught the attention of Shizue for just moment, but when her eyes met what could have been the glimmer of his own, hidden behind the wispy curtain of lashes, she quickly averted her gaze to the fish tank just beyond the head of the Mizukage, where the silver arowana languidly swam the length of the aquarium.

"Shizue is a pretty name," the elder commented. Even if he thought the name was pretty, she did not like the way it sounded on his tongue.

"Th-thank you Mizukage-sama."

"It's such a shame I have no record of it, though." The elder's eyes narrowed further into slits. "Do you have any idea, Shizue-kun, why it isn't in the records?"

The child shook her head.

Leaning over the desk, the Third observed the child. She had dragged in the foul stench of death upon her arrival, not to mention tracking mud across his glossy tiles and the grating on his ears with her obnoxious sniffles. Her hands fidgeted with the hem of shirt and eyes flitted about as she followed the silvery scales of the fish just behind him, landing on the stack of papers folded neatly by his elbow; anything to avoid meeting his gaze.

"Shizue-kun," the Sandaime addressed her. "How old are you?"

"Four, Mizukage-sama," she said as she flexed four pudgy fingers before him.

"You know when I was four, I already had my first kill." This made the child drop her hand and snap her gaze back to the Sandaime, who was all but glowering at her. "If you're not going to stop your sniffling it would do you well Shizue-kun, to at least look someone in the eye when they're speaking to you."

She nodded her head stiffly and tried her best to suppress the sniffles. Seemingly satisfied with her attempt, the Mizukage launched into a complex discussion with the captain. War. Civil rebels. War. Clan uprisings. War. _Kekkai genkai._ War. Tsukemono Daichi. Death. Murder. Tsukemono Daichi. Hidden child. War. Traitor.

What Shizue was able to glean from the conversation at the tender age of four was: (1) the Hidden Mist was currently faced with the prospect of war due to resistance from civil rebel factions coupled with tensions arising from neighboring countries, (2) Tsukemono Daichi, her father, had been supposedly a capable shinobi and _kekkai genkai_ user, whatever that was, (3) her existence had been unknown to the Hidden Mist prior to this point, and (4) because her father had apparently kept Shizue's birth a secret, his motives before his death were now regarded with great suspicion.

Although half the words had yet to register a specific definition in her mental dictionary, just hearing specific key terms had her head throb once more.

"Ten, Four," the Mizukage suddenly announced. Clouds of mist seeped through the cracks in between the tiles before materializing into two masked figures. This shook Shizue right out of her confused state to stare at the masked shinobi in amazement. The Sandaime turned to the trio who had originally escorted Shizue to the office. "You three, inform the patrols and form another cell to investigate the home of Daichi-san. You're now dismissed. I have important matters to discuss."

Yes, sir!" The trio bowed and one by one scattered from the room, making sure to close the door behind them.

"Tsukemono Daichi and his wife are dead," the Mizukage spoke aloud for the ANBU to hear. Four, your orders are to form a separate unit and have them search the perimeter of the village. It seems enemies have been able to bypass our patrols and have encroached on our territory. I do not take threats like this lightly. If you get a lead, I give you permission to engage. Bring any survivor's back to T&I. I want to know if it's the civil rebels, another clan uprising, or another country entering our territory. We will decide what steps to take after the investigation."

"Yes, sir." One of the masked men vanished as quickly as he had come.

"Now Shizue-kun," the Third's beady eyes slid back to her, "I have a question for you. Now that you have come to the realization that your parents are deceased, how does that make you feel?" Observing the obvious confusion marring her face, the Mizukage's grin grew wide. "To be dead means they are no longer alive. Your parents no longer exist. It means from this day forward, you will be utterly _alone_."

Alone, Shizue pondered. What did the Mizukage mean to be alone? Was it the same as when her mother kicked her out of the kitchen while she cooked? Did it mean playing by herself? Was it the same as waiting for her father to return from a mission?

Then another thought came to her, and she recalled a distant time or place where her conscience resided in a body unlike this one. A body that did not go by the name of Shizue, but that of another language. She had been named after a flower once, but this name she now held, she did not know the meaning behind it. Was this what it meant to be alone? To not know the meaning of her own name?

Possibly mistaking her silence for fear, the Mizukage spoke once again. "I have a proposition for you, Shizue-kun. I can either end your loneliness right now, or you give me one reason why I shouldn't cut you down right here, right now, little one."

"I-I don't know," Shizue finally responded. Her eyes flitted to the remaining masked figure standing behind the Mizukage. Dressed in standard ANBU gear, he dawned a gray flak jacket with wide shoulder pads. The porcelain mask concealing his face was slashed across in blue paint. With arms hanging by his sides, it seemed every muscle wired in his body was poised to strike at the first unwarranted movement made by the child.

He hummed. "You disappoint me. During these times of civil war, the village can't afford another mouth to feed, especially a mouth that doesn't appear in any of our records. We have no obligation to keep you, really. I was hoping you'd be a bit more _clever_."

Shizue was beginning to lose focus of the Mizukage's face as old images were beginning to overlap with what she currently saw. A man with a red cap, wizened features, a pipe between teeth whilst a wrinkled hand combed through a white beard. The girl's heart quickened in pace as she tried to blink the memory away.

As if resigning himself with a sigh, the Mizukage motioned for her to come around his desk, which she did so warily. "Has your father ever made mention of _kekkai genkai_ in your presence?"

Shizue shook her head. She recalled the Sandaime mentioning this just moments ago, but she had no memory of it ever being spoken from her father's lips.

"Well, if you want to prove yourself useful to this village you had better hope you have the same ability as your father. If not, I'll at least make your death a quick and painless one," he said as he produced a curved piece of metal from the sleeve of his robe. He twisted it a few times, allowing it to glint under the light before grabbing the child's hand and slashing it across her palm.

Shizue screamed in pain and held onto her hand with her uninjured one, curling them both into her chest. She flailed and kicked at the elder, but he simply held her back with a push to her forehead.

"Settle down. Let's see your hand now."

She screeched at him, however, her struggle against the elder was futile as he grabbed her hand once again and jerked it towards him. The sight held before the two had the Mizukage grinning once again, making Shizue fear briefly that if his grin grew any wider, he could open his mouth and swallow her whole. Instead of finding blood profusely dripping from the wound, it pooled and bubbled around the cut, not a drop escaping her body. Her cries died down into silence as she stared at her own hand in amazement.

"Ten," the Kage said, turning towards the last standing ANBU, "send word for Tsukemono Ryohei. Tell him that his pupil Daichi has passed, but has left a new disciple to fulfill his legacy."

"Yes, sir."

"Also, since Ryohei is currently working on the peninsula, it's best to have one of our men contacting him directly rather than a messenger. I don't want the order being intercepted."

"Yes," the ANBU said a final time before disappearing.

Briefly tearing her eyes away from her pulsating wound, Shizue asked tentatively, "Who's Ryohei?"

Sliding open a drawer, the Sandaime obtained a roll of gauze, which he then proceeded to wrap around the child's hand before tearing and tying it off. "Let's just say he's your last living relative."

* * *

The orphanage was overcrowded, cramped, and filthy; everything was completely unfamiliar to Shizue. Victims of wartime, the children ran around either barefooted or in shoes too small, tracking dirt into the household as the caretaker chased them with a broom. They fought over almost everything: scraps of food, sleeping quarters, bathroom space. Most of their parents were either dead or had abandoned them. Others had their villages completely eradicated and were forced to come here during the era of civil wars.

For three days and three nights, Shizue kept to herself in a small corner, clutching her bandaged hand to her chest. During the day, she stared out the window watching the fog roll by, swallowing everything in its wake. At night when the mist became too thick she couldn't see anything outside, she watched the orphans fast asleep around her since she was unable to sleep herself. The caretaker called it insomnia. Every time she closed her eyes, all she saw were the flies gathering around her and her parents. They grew until they took on the shape of crows and began pecking at the flesh of her palms. Like a bubbling brook, the blood continually rolled just beneath the surface, never spilling over.

And if it wasn't those dreams, she dreamed of a different reality of blackened roads and rumbling, metallic machinery; of colorful images dancing across a silver screen and the rapid clicking of fingers on plastic keys. She did not know if she was conjuring up a reality so far removed from the one she was currently living in to cope, or if it was something else entirely. As the days passed, her consciousness began to warp and distance itself away from the thinking of a four-year-old to that of a more mature and structured mind. It was slowly becoming the blending of realities, and with her still limited vocabulary, the most she could do to describe the sensation was weird.

"Shizue-chan," she heard the caretaker whisper. The little girl was jolted from her state of meditation. From the darkness surrounding her and the light spilling from the doorway, she determined it was still the middle of the night. "Someone is here to see you."

Puzzled, Shizue slowly rose to her feet, carefully maneuvering around the unconscious bodies as she made her way to the door. The caretaker motioned for her to follow until they reached the entrance, where she was greeted by a tall man swathed in a cotton fabric and dawning a straw hat, casting a dark shadow across his features.

"This is Tsukemono Ryohei. Mizukage-sama entrusted him to take care of you."

Shizue took a cautious step back as the man crouched down. Removing his hat, he revealed locks of wavy dark hair and appeared as if he hadn't shaved in days. He had a face like her father's, from what she could remember. And judging from the creases on his forehead, the man was considerably more aged than her father, but not nearly as old as the Sandaime.

"It's nice to meet you Shizue-chan. I'm sorry to hear about your parents. Your dad especially. He was someone very special to me." The man paused and exchanged a look with the caretaker who gave him a sympathetic smile. "Daichi was one of my best students... and since you're his daughter, I guess that also makes you my student. You can call me Ryo-sensei. From today onwards, let's take care of each other, okay?"

He held out his hand, which, after glancing back and forth between the caretaker and Ryo-sensei, she reluctantly took. It was big and warm; the first source of comfort she had encountered ever since she had first stepped foot into this cold and scary place known as the Bloody Mist.

* * *

 **Hello there! If you're a new reader, welcome! And if you're a returning reader wondering where all the previous chapters went, I actually did some serious revision of the story since I personally felt the quality could be improved. Now before you go on a rampage about "How could you just delete all the previous chapters?" There actually weren't that many to begin with (only 8 short chapters). This chapter alone had originally been about 2k words, and after editing and properly fleshing out the scenes, it now stands a little over 4k.** **Least to say, I'm happy with the outcome and hope you are too. :)**

 **Also, I know the rating is T right now, but based off the content of this chapter, do you guys think I should bump the rating up to M? Or should I keep it at T and just issue a warning at the top whenever the chapter warrants it?**

 **Please let me know what you guys think!**


	2. Death Still Came

When dawn came, Shizue and Ryohei ventured the foggy morning to the nearest florist, where they purchased two small bouquets of chrysanthemums and white carnations. Hand-in-hand, they navigated the curving roads and steep hills before reaching their destination on the West side of the island. The air was still and soil sodden as they maneuvered their way among silent headstones before finally stopping before two fresh graves.

With eyes closed and flowers clasped tightly between hands, Ryohei slowly inhaled through his nose and out through his mouth. Shizue observed his expression as the corners of his mouth tugged downwards, brows twisted, and shoulders just showing the beginnings of a tremor. For a child, she was quite perceptive of these small cues.

"Your mother and father are here," he murmured as he crouched down and placed the flowers against the stones. "They're going to be here for a long time. Why don't we say our goodbyes before we go?"

"Goodbyes? Are we going somewhere?" Shizue pondered.

"Yes. We're going to be gone for quite a while. I have business to return to on the peninsula, and Mizukage-sama said it was in the village's best interest that I begin your training now, rather than have you waiting months longer in that orphanage when my mission is finally complete. In fact, I'm not all that optimistic I'll even be done by then." He stood to his full height again. "So for now, let's tell your parents not to worry and ask them to watch over us."

"But they're not here."

"Even if they're not here, if we still say our goodbyes they might get the message."

"Mizukage-sama said they're dead. Is that why they're not here?"

The man drew in his lips and gazed downwards, adopting a pensive expression.

Shizue stared at the two slabs of stone which sprouted forth from the wet earth, as if they were trying to reach beyond the mist to the heavens above. _Tsukemono Akane_ and _Tsukemono Daichi_ were the names of her parents, Ryohei had informed her. The name of her mother who was hardly mentioned, and the faces of both her parents she could barely recall. During the past few days she spent in the orphanage, she found there was a lapse in her memories and a disconnect of emotions towards things that should have been familiar to her. When she recalled her parents, she could not call upon any memory that was not associated with the bloody scene from days past. Instead, she felt a tug at her heart that suggested these two had not always been her parents. She had another set somewhere, long gone now, but they had once existed, Shizue was most certain.

"Mizukage-sama said I would be sad and alone, but I don't remember my parents that well so it's oka— Hey, Ryo-sensei. Are you crying?"

The man's bottom lip began to quiver and he was forced to immediately bite down. However, that did little to stop the warm moisture which began to pour from his eyes and down his face. Noticing it as well, hesitantly, he reached up a hand to touch his cheek. Rubbing the salty tears into his skin, he insisted he was fine, however, Ryohei's eyes began to overflow. His nose sniffled. His mouth gaped open. Crouching down once again, he held his face and his hands as ugly wails shook his chest. A fully grown man, a veteran shinobi with decades of experience behind him, was openly crying in front of a child.

This struck a chord in the young Shizue as she moved to comfort him. Gently, she patted his back as she recalled someone had once done this to her a lifetime ago. _One, two, one, two._ The crying would stop eventually. _One, two, one, two._

* * *

After reaching the southernmost edge of the island, the two boarded a ferry and traveled across the Mori Sea for several hours, when they finally reached the mainland by nightfall.

Over the course of a month, the pair took refuge within the peninsular country of the Land of Woods, a neutral territory that bordered the Land of Fire and shared an ocean with the Land of Water. Ryohei had previously been stationed here before taking leave to Mist to take guardianship of Shizue, after which he was instructed to resume his mission despite the fact that a child was now in company. From Shizue's perspective, Ryohei's work was rather boring. They spent most of their time wandering from town to town, sipping tea and munching on dango when they chanced upon tea shops, fishing when they ended up near a port town or river, and spent the night either camping in the woods or resting at an inn. If she didn't know any better, Ryohei could have been an editor for a tourist magazine from all the dining and travel they did.

However, Shizue was also quite observant for her age and deduced that this was not all his job entailed. During their journey, Ryohei would occasionally slip away; sometimes in the middle of having tea he would excuse himself, or in the stillness of night when her breathing slowed and the child appeared as if she were asleep, he would disappear in a blur. Shizue remained silent about this, however, since it didn't particularly affect her in a negative way. Ryohei was a nice man as far as she could tell. Every day he taught her a new word, schooled her on the uses of a ninja tool kit, how to identify a few medicinal herbs that grew locally, the basics of self-defense, as well as how to care for herself. Although he was quite strict with her at times, she could tell he had good intentions. He treated her like family, and in place of the lost memories from her earliest days of childhood, she created new ones with Ryohei.

 _"Ryo-sensei. I want you to teach me how to write."_

 _Looking up from a message he had been writing in an unfamiliar script, he set the brush against the inkstone and fixed the child with an inquisitive look. "Eager to learn now, are we?"_

 _She nodded once, and with a satisfied smile stretching across his lips, the man set his work aside to pull out a fresh sheet of paper._

 _"Let's start with your name. That's something easy enough." In precise, fluid motions, the man lifted the brush and drew strokes of black ink on the far right side of the paper. "Tsu-ke-mo-no Shi-zu-e. You spell Shizue with the characters for 'aspire', 'harbor', and 'river'. Very fitting for a child from the Land of Water. Don't you think?"_

 _The child eagerly nodded as he placed the brush in her hands, ready to repeat the strokes herself._

However, what Shizue soon came to realize was the fact that she hadn't always been just a _child_.

* * *

The night was humid. With the constant influx of salty ocean air, coupled with the high hills and low valleys, as well as the heat of summer found only on the mainland, the night proved to be unbearably hot. In a fit of kicking off her blankets, a warm dribble escaped down the side of her face causing Shizue to bolt up in her futon and pinch her nose.

"Ryo-sensei," she called groggily.

Her guardian stirred in the futon beside her before a lamp was lit, dimly illuminating the small room. His eyes widened minutely as he saw the rate the blood was flowing between her fingers and dripping onto the sheets.

With a slight edge of panic lacing her voice, the child asked, "Ryo-sensei, am I going to die? Like Kaa-san and Tou-san?"

Almost instantly, Ryohei retrieved the box of tissues sitting on the dresser before taking a wad of it and squeezing Shizue's nose tightly. However, those only lasted for but a few moments before they were soaked in the scarlet liquid and had to be replaced by new ones. Noticing the haste of his movements and the everflowing volume of blood she was losing, she could only assume the worst.

"I am going to die, aren't I," she wailed forlornly, and the blood began to pour more profusely.

"Yes, someday," he admitted with brutal honesty, causing the breath to hitch in her throat. "But not right now. Your father had nosebleeds like this dozens of times before. If you could just funnel some _chakra_ into it properly, the bleeding would stop a lot quicker. But since you can't do that yet, this is just going to take a bit longer than usual."

 _Your father._ What was it about her father that he had so many nosebleeds? And what did _chakra_ have to do with it? The word was familiar, but she had no recollection of it ever being mentioned, at least not in this lifetime. In fact, there were so many incongruities in her memories that her mind was beginning to ache once more as her breaths became more shallow.

With the most minimal of movements never going unnoticed by Ryohei, he lifted the child's chin to stare her straight in the eyes. "Calm down, Shizue-chan. You need to relax or the bleeding won't stop."

But she couldn't. Thoughts were racing a mile a minute and the child was having extreme difficulty keeping up. Question after question piled on top of one another, eventually developing into a splitting headache. _Who were her parents? What was Ryohei to her father? Why did she have no recollection before her parents' death? Where were these out-of-place memories coming from?_ Yet they all died in her throat when a sudden wave of dizziness swept away her senses, blanketing her world in a pitch black.

Drop by drop, the scale finally tipped over, unlocking old memories and a lifetime hidden away from her.

Drop.

With a name akin to a flower, the young Shizue had been a young woman once. A young woman who attended university during the day, studied late into the night, and was just trying to make it to her graduation date a year away. She had a routine of coffee in the morning, wine occasionally in the evening, and indulging in anime and manga whenever she had free time. Every season, new anime series came out as her classes cycled from one semester to the next. And every week she eagerly awaited for Thursday to come, since that was when a new episode of Naruto Shippuden aired. She recalled gazing in awe at the detailed artistry as one scene transitioned into the next, paying attention to every minute movement. The theatrics of the voice actors and the composition of the music added to the dramatics of the storyline. Gasping as Rock Lee made his grand entrance in the Chuunin exams when he was pitted against Gaara of the Sand. Fawning over Kakashi and his ever-present coolness. Crying as Itachi tapped Sasuke on the forehead one final time. Pondering over the mystery that was Tobi. Falling silent as Pain descended on Konoha—

 _Drop._

The young woman went home on the weekends and spent time with her family, which consisted of her parents, younger brother, and three dogs. It was a big family; a happy family. During summers they went to the beach, and when winter came, they flew across the country to celebrate Christmas with her grandparents.

Senior year was fast approaching, and she had to put Naruto on hold while she focused on exams and the impending doom of job hunting. Graduation came and went, in which she moved then back home and got accepted for an internship at a biotech lab. It seemed life was going smoothly.

With a one week break between her graduation ceremony and the start date of her new job, her younger brother had decided to take it upon himself and spoil a crucial part in the Naruto series. Forcing her to watch the _Kakashi: Shadow of the ANBU Black Ops_ Arc, her brother practically cackled with glee as he witnessed his older sister literally shedding tears. From the death of Rin, to suffering silently and surviving years in ANBU, to everything that had transpired up until the Uchiha Massacre, the flower woman could only shed tears for her beloved characters.

Steeling herself, she picked up where she had originally left off—the image of Kakashi engaging in battle with Pain. Of course, she had the mind to pay attention to other characters besides the famous Copy-nin, but he was just simply her favorite out of the entire series.

So it came as no surprise to anyone when the young woman flipped out after watching Kakashi fake his death with a nail, before her emotions reached a crescendo when Kakashi had used the last of his chakra to save Choji through the use of his _kamui._ With a blotchy and tear-streaked face, she cried to her friends over FaceTime for an hour, to which they just laughed saying "thank God it wasn't their fave who died". Thankfully, a couple of episodes later, it revealed Nagato using the _Rinne Tensei no Jutsu_ to revive everyone who had passed during his assault. Unfortunately, the young woman with the flower name had no clue this would also be the last episode she would see.

 _Drop._

It was a freak accident in the lab that brought upon her untimely death. She couldn't even recall the exact experiment she had been working on. All she was able to remember was that someone at one end of the lab had been experimenting with chemicals, incorrectly consulting the procedure which caused them to add one wrong liquid to another. An odorless, colorless, highly flammable gas was created. Meanwhile, on the other end of the lab, someone else had lit a Bunsen burner. The gas ignited and an explosion erupted within the room, sending the people, the flower woman included, either up in flames or thrown against the walls and windows, splattering them into smithereens. The fire quickly spread within minutes and the entire building burned to the ground.

Too bad the _Rinne Tensei no Jutsu_ couldn't be used in that world.

 _Drop._

Vaguely, she recalled her conscience continuing to travel, even after her death. What she had always imagined being a white light, was in fact golden, and before she knew it, the young woman had once again been birthed into the body of a golden-eyed, black-haired infant. Her reincarnation took less than just a moment. However, it was too short of a moment. Too short to reflect what had just transpired, too short to mourn her old life, too short to grasp the events that were currently taking place now. So she did what any adult woman would do after discovering she had been crammed into the body of a baby: she cried. And it was the cries of a newborn baby that brought much relief to the new parents and midwife.

 _Drop._

Two doting parents raised their newborn in the woodland cottage, with the Bloody Mist looming just beyond the cliffside. And just as a baby is eventually weaned off its mother's milk, the child soon forgets about her past life. With foggy mornings, she and her mother send her father off to work, a hitae-ate strapped firmly to his forehead.

"Your Tou-san's an important person," her mother would say with a starry look in her eyes. "He works for Mizukage-sama and protects the village."

"Why don't we live in the village too, Kaa-san?"

Suddenly, her mother pulled the toddler in for a hug and snuggled her face close. "Because you're just too cute Shizue-chan! We don't want anyone else to see you!"

 _Drop._

Despite the happy times, death still came all too soon.

In the morning as the child helped her mother prepare miso soup and rice for breakfast, her father's frantic shouts suddenly echoed from the front yard. Hastily, her mother wipes her hands on her apron and stepped out of the kitchen, feet padding against tatami mats to see what all the commotion was about. A question suddenly morphed into screams as the wet sound of metal running through flesh cut through the air. A moment later and her mother barged into the kitchen with a fearful look in her eye and a red slash across the chest. She quickly grabbed the child and shoved her into the cabinet space underneath the sink before turning to grab a kitchen knife. More shouts and screams were met with more metal against flesh, followed by a wet thump against the tiles. The angry wails of her father could be heard as he charged the attacker. Loud crashes and bangs carried through the house and out the front door, with the fight resuming in the front yard beyond the windows. Explosions of light and waves shook the cottage. Yells and howls rang through the air. The battle dragged on for hours before silence finally descended.

All Shizue could hear were the raspy whisper-screams and a deafening ringing in her ears.

 _Drop._

Her nosebleed finally stopped.

* * *

When she regained her senses, Shizue found a wad of tissue plugged up her left nostril with a cold towel draped over her forehead. Ryohei was seated with arms crossed and back against the wall; his katana resting in his lap. Their eyes met, and just as he was about to exclaim something along the lines of "thank goodness you're okay", fat droplets welled up in Shizue's eyes before spilling over as her tiny body shook with sobs.

At the end of the day, Shizue was still a child-physically at least—which meant her body could only handle so much mental and emotional stress. So, she did what any child would do and cried.

She cried because she was finally able to grasp what her previous four-year-old mindset was unable to comprehend: the weight and finality of death. She mourned not just for her old life or the people she left behind, but also for this life and the parents she barely knew. They had filled her with so much love. And although she still had many questions about her parents and the circumstances surrounding them, the fact remained that up until their last dying breaths, her parents had tried their damn hardest to protect her.

Seeing the tearful child, Ryohei raced across the room and cupped her face. "What's wrong, Shizue-chan? Do you feel sick?"

She merely shook her head as heaves wracked her chest.

"It's okay now. The bleeding stopped. There's nothing to be worried about." When she didn't answer, all the man could do was pull her into his arms and gently pat her back. "There, there, Shizue-chan. Don't cry. I'm here. I've got you. Ryo-sensei's got you."

* * *

The following morning, Shizue belatedly came to the daunting realization that she had been reborn into the Narutoverse.

This posed a series of problems, the most obvious one being that she had been born as a child of Kirigakure and not Konohagakure. Wasn't that supposed to be a rule of thumb in all Naruto fanfics? That when you're thrust into the Narutoverse, you're automatically settled in Konohagakure as a drooling bundle? More often than not of Uzumaki-descent? Either that or you're an Uchiha bearing the weight of the clan's curse. _Apparently not,_ Shizue thought with much dismay.

As a casual fan of the Naruto series, her knowledge of Kiri was very limited compared to that of Konoha.

The most she was able to recall off the top of her head was that it had once been—or perhaps still was—known as the Bloody Mist. The village earned the infamous moniker due to a variety of reasons, one being their education system was rigged to pit students against one another in a fight to the death if they wished to graduate. Another being that the village was heavily centered around the practice of kenjutsu, and practically everyone aspired to be like the ruthless killers known as the Seven Ninja Swordsmen—an organization known to hold the greatest kenjutsu masters in all of Kirigakure. Their skillset elicited both respect and fear, calling to mind images of Kabuza and Kisame slicing through their enemies; characters Shizue had seen dozens of times in her past life.

To survive in this world, it wasn't even a question of whether she wanted to be a shinobi or not, especially now that she knew she was a child of Kiri. If she didn't want to risk the chances of having someone stab her in the back or fall victim to an attack, she had to be ready. And depending on where she currently was in the timeline, she may have to be prepared much sooner rather than later.

So it was to her great relief that Ryohei took her to a clearing one day and announced that he was going to teach her chakra control. Chakra control, as Ryohei had explained, was what the Tsukemono clan had always been exceptionally good at, and Shizue was no different. Because of this, techniques that would normally be taught to a genin during Naruto's generation, she learned quite readily. The first week was reserved for getting acquainted with her chakra. This involved familiarizing herself with the pool of energy centered at her chest, growing awareness as it extended to the tips of her fingers and toes, before she was finally able to begin channeling it into the key contact points of her body. Within another week she was able to walk on water, leap over rooftops, and hang from tree branches, save for a few mishaps here and there.

"We're going to be crossing the border into the Land of Fire tomorrow," Ryohei announced as they sat around the campfire.

He dipped the ladle in what he called _camper stew_ and swirled the contents. The ingredients changed on a daily basis. Sometimes it was a soup made from fish caught in the river, boiled rice and wild herbs growing nearby, or even a broth made of canned food spooned out of tins. Tonight's stew consisted of robust tubers and chunks of meat.

"You mean, where Konohagakure is?"

He nodded.

"Is that where we'll be going?"

He grunted as he scooped a bowlful of the camper stew, blowing it a few times before passing it to Shizue. She stared at the wisps of steam escaping into the summer night. Shizue called up a mental image of the map Ryohei had shown her dozens of times before. From their current location, it would have taken at least a few weeks by walking. But now that she had sufficient chakra control to bound through the trees like any good shinobi, and considering her height and stature, the trip would take them a week, tops.

"Have you ever been there before Ryo-sensei? What's it like?"

"The weather's pretty nice out there. It's sunny most days, but during late spring to early summer they get quite the amount of rain." He paused to take a sip. "Generally there's less war out there and the folks are nicer too. They don't make you kill each other in the Academy either."

"But in Kiri they do?" She hoped to _kami_ they ended that practice already.

"They did before."

"Do I have to go to Academy in Kiri?" she pressed on. "Will I have to kill?"

"Most likely you'll have to go, but you won't have to kill. They discontinued the practice a few years ago."

"I see," she said as she took a sip of her stew thoughtfully. She wondered if Zabuza had anything to do with it. If he did, that meant her current position on the timeline was years before Naruto's birth, possibly sometime around when Zabuza was an Academy student.

This gave Shizue plenty of food for thought. She wasn't quite sure how she felt about the fact she was going to have to kill eventually if she was aiming to be a shinobi. It was inevitable. In this world, people ran on a different set of moral standards compared to her old world. Of course, killing and murder was still wrong no matter what angle you viewed it from, but when the economy was basically founded on war, and society was set up in such a way that becoming a weaponized, magic-wielding soldier was actually a viable means of livelihood, it was no wonder this world's moral compass was so clouded.

After they ate their fill and Ryohei put out the fire, they laid down to stare at the stars and reviewed the shinobi rules before falling fast asleep.

From that point forward, they carefully traversed the terrain. Maneuvering around battlefields, war-torn villages, and shinobi lookout towers, Shizue quickly became curious as to why they were staying off the main roads and navigating through the thicker parts of the forest via trees. Glancing at the garb they had been disguised in for nearly two months, with Ryohei donning linen rags and a scraggly beard, whilst towing Shizue along dressed in a murky blue kimono, the two appeared to be a traveling peasant and his daughter. Most onlookers would be none the wiser, so it didn't make sense to her on why they couldn't just travel as peasants would. She figured his mission was simply collecting intel on the populace in the Land of Woods, although she never asked considering Ryohei was particularly tight-lipped about his mission affairs. But judging from the leisure way they patrolled the Land of Woods during the first month, it wasn't that far of a stretch.

It wasn't until she woke up one morning to find Ryohei had stripped out of his weathered robe into that of a green flak jacket and dark, breathable pants that she all but passed out. It was one thing to visit a shinobi village in disguise, but it was another thing to visit a shinobi village disguised as _one of their own_ , when they, in fact, were _not_. A Kiri shinobi dressed as a shinobi from Konoha on their way to said village practically screamed _"SPY"_.

"Ryo-sensei," Shizue sweetly asked, "why are you dressed like that?"

"Mission," he stated simply as he tied the swirly leaf hitae-ate to his forehead. "Go get dressed. We're going to have to go over some drills before we check out."

It was already bad being born as a child of Kiri. And it was even worse being adopted by a presumed Kiri spy on his way to infiltrate supposed enemy territory. At the tender age of four with dismal combat skills and a _kekkei genkai_ she knew next to nothing about, Shizue's chances of survival were looking quite slim.

 _I'm too young to die a_ second _time._

* * *

 **A review is much appreciated! :)**


	3. Emptiness Within

A few miles before they arrived at the gates of Konoha, Ryohei drilled her on how to act as Shizue tried her best not to hyperventilate. As they bounded from branch to branch within the forest, she constantly stole glances at her sensei, who was still in the Konoha garb of a green flak jacket and the swirly leaf insignia displayed mockingly on his forehead. The katana he usually carried at his hip was now fastened to his back.

"Stay within a five-foot radius of him at all times. When we get there, don't gawk, you have to act at least familiar with the place so we don't attract attention. When you see shinobi, remember your manners. Bow and smile politely, but don't linger too long. If someone asks you a question and if you think it has anything related to do with my work or Kiri, what do you say?"

"I don't know."

"Good."

Oh _kami_ , they were definitely on some espionage mission. It went without saying since they've been traveling incognito for months now. Shizue wondered why she hadn't realized it sooner. A shinobi from Kiri toting around a child across foreign land and enemy borders? Having a child around was the best cover since the image of a fatherly figure tended to make people lower their guard. It was a clever ruse, she had to admit, but the glaring fact that Ryohei seemed to have overlooked was that Shizue was not a spy, not trained for espionage missions, and she most likely would be the one to break their cover and send them to their untimely demises.

"Remember Shizue-chan. You are to not breathe a word of Kiri to anyone. As far as the people here are concerned, we have always been residents of the Land of Fire. I'm a shinobi from Konoha who had just returned from a long-term mission, and you are my niece left in my care. And of course, we won't be speaking of this trip back in Kiri either."

Mustering up her courage, she finally asked, "Ryo-sensei, what exactly is your work?"

"That's classified, Shizue-chan. Remember what I said before?"

"The less you know the better if you don't want to be killed," Shizue parroted, silently noting that was something quite morbid to teach to a four-year-old.

He nodded in approval. "Now, we're almost there. We're going to take the rest of the way on foot."

Shizue gave a hesitant nod as she let her weight slip from the trees. Chakra coiled in the pit of her stomach before radiating downward to her legs to soften the landing. She jogged toward her sensei who was already waiting for her on the beaten road. Quickly combing through her hair and brushing the dirt from her pants, her sensei gave her a once over before they began walking. It wasn't long before the gates of Konoha were in sight.

Upon entering the village walls, Shizue's jaw dropped. Konohagakure truly was a sight to behold. The building was large, brightly-colored, with shop vendors shouting their wares from the ground floor and people airing out their laundry or watering plants from the floors above. Another thing Shizue took notice of was the fact that there were more children than she had ever seen at one time. They scampered about with joyful smiles and boisterous laughter as they chased each other down the streets, or bounced on the balls of their feet as they accompanied their parents on grocery runs. In Kirigakure from what Shizue could recall, there were never as many children seen outdoors. She had assumed most were either learning indoors to get away from the gray atmosphere, at the training fields or away at war since Kiri was always entangled in some bloody affair, or worse, the children were already dead.

But above the buildings and children, what caught her attention was the monument looming over the village. Standing under the immense frame of the gates, Shizue counted three heads carved into the face of the cliffside. At least one question was solved: the timeline. From this, she could deduce that Minato had yet to become the fourth Hokage, which meant the Third Shinobi War had yet to happen, if it wasn't unfolding already.

The two approached a large red building under the watchful eyes of the monument, Shizue's heart began to race as her breathing grew shallow. There was another problem aside from the fact that she was a child of Kirigakure, Shizue decided. It was the uncertainty of her situation. This entailed her _kekkei genkai_ and mysterious clan circumstances, the occupation of Ryohei, and _what the hell_ they were doing entering the office of _the Sandaime Hokage_. She had seen this place a dozen times in the anime. Entering the building, her sensei led her down a hallway as if he had been here a thousand times before, waltzing through a side door which led to an outdoor spiral staircase, offering another view of the thriving village. The two climbed the side of the building before reentering through a side door and traversing another hallway, finally stopping at a green door.

It appeared to be an ordinary green door except that it was anything but. Behind this door was a man who held a legacy that both preceded and succeeded him in greatness. The student of the Second Hokage, and the sensei of the Sannin, a man who instilled words of wisdom across multiple generations, he was to be both feared and respected—the God of Shinobi.

Ryohei lightly rapped on the door before twisting the knob and ushering Shizue in, swiftly shutting the door behind them. Like a deer caught in headlights, Shizue held her breath, daring not to even disturb the air within the Hokage's office. Sarutobi Hiruzen was seated behind the desk with a pipe between his teeth. Spiky brown hair was combed back from his face, markings dragging from his eyes, and a wart on his nose. Shizue recognized him as one of the stone-faced men on the cliff, and _boy_ did he look much younger than the white-haired, age-spotted elder of her memories.

"You look so young," Shizue blurted out before she could stop herself. With a gasp, she was quickly met with a bop to her head as the hand forcefully pushed her down into a ninety-degree bow.

"Hokage-sama," Ryo-sensei greeted with a bow. "My apologies."

"I'll take that as a compliment. I'm nearing the age where children would say otherwise, so this is pleasant to hear," the Kage said with a chuckle. "Ryohei-kun, welcome back. Your journey must have been difficult. Is this the child you spoke of in your letters?" His eyes shifted to Shizue who sidestepped toward her sensei. Although his face held no expression, she could feel the power rolling off of his figure. It was fierier compared to the Mizukage's cold aura, and equally as intimidating.

"Yes, Hokage-sama. Due to certain events happening back in Kirigakure, I have now become her legal guardian." Shizue gawked at her sensei. Did he just openly admit they were from Kiri? What happened to the secrecy and hours of careful planning and scripted words?

"It is quite the risk to bring a child across such a war-stricken border. I trust that events had occurred in such a way that this situation became unavoidable?"

"Yes. It was per the Mizukage's request that I take care of and train her after her parents' passing. Had I refused they would have grown suspicious. But rest assured, I have taught Shizue-chan the dangers of the shinobi world as well as the conditions of my work. All of the secrets remain with me. She has no alliance with Kirigakure. When the Mizukage summoned me to take custody of her, it appeared he had no idea that she even existed before that day."

The Sandaime hummed thoughtfully as he stroked his goatee. "Her father was Tsukemono Daichi of the _shukketsu ken_ if I recall correctly. I've heard of his feats on the battlefield a many number of times before. I'm sure you two were very close, being the only survivors of your clan. I'm sorry for your loss."

 _Shukketsu ken?_ This was the first time she ever heard of something like that. She mentally added this to the list of things to discuss with Ryohei once this was over.

"Shizue-kun." The Hokage was speaking to the four-year-old now. It seemed the exchange of pleasantries was over. "Your sensei and I have some important matters to discuss. Do you mind playing outside for a moment? I'll call for a chaperone. You can wait for them downstairs."

She hesitated for a moment, trying to read her sensei's visage out of the corner of her eye, while trying her best to maintain a gaze with the expectant eyes of the Sandaime.

"Shizue-chan," Ryohei urged.

Finally submitting, she gave a reluctant nod. Ryohei unfastened one of his pockets and handed over some bills to the little girl, instructing her to buy herself breakfast and to listen to the chaperone well. Try to stay out of trouble. The child nodded once before scampering out.

* * *

Unattended by Ryohei, for the first time in a while, Shizue was alone. She figured it was going to take a while for the chaperone to arrive so she might as well get some practice in to kill time. After spotting some wooden posts off to the side under the shade of trees, Shizue waltzed over and took a couple of shuriken out of her pouch. Readying her stance and focusing her gaze, with a flick of her wrist, the weapons lodged itself into the wood.

After a couple of tosses, her mind began to wander and she decided this was a good time as any to sort out her thoughts. From what she had learned from fanfics in her past life, it was probably not a good idea to mess with canon since it could easily cause a ripple effect and the future could become quite unpredictable. Of course, it seemed she already fudged this up with her meeting the Hokage. That was unavoidable. Then again, spies were always a possibility in the shinobi world, so it was possible that Ryohei was a part of the original Narutoverse, and it may just be that his existence had never been brought to light, being a spy and all. The most she could do was not interfere with canon any more than she already had.

She realized she had to come up with a plan at some point on what she was going to do in this world. It was too lofty a goal to save the world from the clutches of the Akatsuki, she would leave that up to Naruto when the time came. But for now she had to set her own goal on what she personally wanted to do. Survival was one; that was a given. But what else could she do in the meantime? She had to decide what to do, if she wanted to do anything at all.

She walked towards the posts and yanked the shurikens out of the wood, stumbling just a bit, before returning to her original position and starting all over again. _Thunk. Thunk. Thunk._

They were going to have to return to Kiri at some point. What then? She guessed it all depended on who Ryohei truly was and which side he was on; she would ask him later. Hopefully, he wouldn't be so against the idea of defecting from Kiri if he wasn't already planning to do so already. The Bloody Mist wasn't exactly the ideal place she wanted to be raised. Being taught how to become a mini mass-murderer while under the careful eye of the Mizukage, it was only a matter of time before the Third Shinobi War ended if it wasn't underway already. After that, if she recalled correctly, civil war would take the Land of Water, and people would defect en masse, which would force Kiri to create a new division of ANBU known as the Hunter-nin Corps, and by then it would be near impossible for her to defect. Death was almost guaranteed.

"Are you Tsukemono Shizue-san?"

The small girl jumped at the sudden interruption. Snapping her head in the direction of the voice, her golden eyes landed on a boy standing among the tree branches, with coal eyes and a mask covering the lower half of his face. Leaping down and out of the shadows, the boy stood before her was clad in dark attire, and only appeared a foot taller due to the spiky gray hair held up by the Konoha hitai-ate. _Holy shit. It was Kakashi in the flesh. Living, breathing, boy Kakashi speaking to me._

"Well, are you Tsukemono-san?" he repeated. "The one I was assigned to?"

Slowly, Shizue could feel the heat rising to her cheeks. This was the first time a boy her age spoke to her, no less _Hatake Kakashi_. Unable to find the words to speak, her mouth opened and closed like a fish. The boy crossed his arms and shifted his weight to the side as he sized her up. Her face felt like it was sizzling.

 _This was not the time to be acting like a kid Shizue! You're supposed to behave like an adult merely stuck in a child's body!_

But that was in fact not true. Shizue still had the physical and mental capacity of a child, who simply had borrowed memories of her past life which would inevitably fade with time. Although in theory this gave her the edge of processing things more logically and rationally than her peers, she was still susceptible to the same childlike emotions and outbursts.

"Th-that would be me," she replied dumbly.

Kakashi sighed and muttered, "Professor called saying this was an important mission, but it seems all I'll be doing is babysitting."

Shizue bristled at this and glared up at the boy, forgetting all about her previous embarrassment. "What do you mean _babysitting_? You're a kid just like me!"

He shot her a deadpanned expression. "Right. Well, anyway, my name is Hatake Kakashi. Professor had instructed me to accompany you for the day while he sorts out matters with your sensei. Is there anything in particular you wanted to do?"

She had forgotten kid Kakashi was the equivalent of a rule-abiding, holier-than-thou brat. And as much as he was her favorite character in all of the Naruto series, her childlike temperament could only handle so much and she was seriously resisting the urge to smack him upside the head. Jutting her chin at him and squinting her eyes in an attempt to look intimidating, she spat out, "Nothing in particular, Kakashi _-chan._ "

"I would appreciate if you could refrain from addressing me in such a way, Tsukemono-san."

"Would you prefer I call you _Scarecrow-chan_ then?"

Shizue was pleasantly convinced Kakashi's face was marred with a frown underneath his mask. Most likely he had a snarky remark just on the tip of his tongue, but since this was a mission given by the Hokage and Shizue was technically his charge, he couldn't say anything out of line.

With all the restraint he could muster, the boy sighed, "Your sensei requested that I take you to get some breakfast. So since you don't have anything you want to do, we can go get something to eat first."

"Lead the way Kakashi- _chan_."

* * *

"What is this?"

Laden before her in a wooden box was an assortment of foods she had never seen before. Balls of rice as big as her fist were aligned in a neat row. Sliced rolls of what appeared to be egg drizzled in a brown sauce were tucked in a corner. Fried orange and green bits with crusted pieces of something else adorned the sides.

"You've never had a bento before?"

Shizue smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand. _Bento! Of course it was_. It was all coming back to her. Memories of going down to the Japanese restaurant down the block from her university dorm filled her mind.

Kakashi raised a quizzical brow at her to which she returned a lopsided grin.

"Where do I start?"

Kakashi simply shrugged as he broke apart his chopsticks. In amazement, Shizue watched as he picked up one of the crusted morsels with his chopsticks before lifting it to his mouth and consuming it in the blink of an eye. She only caught a brief flash of the skin underneath his mask, but it was enough to make her eyes grow as wide as saucers.

"What?" he challenged.

Clearing her throat and shifting her gaze, she asked, "How does it taste?"

"Like shrimp... It's just tempura." Seeing that the word didn't register by the look on her face he explained, "Tempura is just food deep-fried in batter."

The girl took a tentative bite. When the crispy-coated delicacy touched her tongue, her expression gleamed with delight. "I've never had this before. It's _good_. All Ryo-sensei ever makes is soup."

"Soup for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? That can't be healthy."

"Well, it's only because we're on the road all the time so we eat kind of boring stuff. But back home they make all sorts of interesting soups. Like this one restaurant my sensei always takes me to makes the really good soup you dip soba noodles in. Even dessert soups! My favorite is mitsumame."

"You're not from Konoha," Kakashi stated as he took a sip of tea. It wasn't a question.

Shizue pressed her lips into a thin line. _Dang, he_ was _perceptive for his age._

"What are you doing here?"

"Ryo-sensei said he has business here. So I just followed him," she replied not so smoothly.

"So are you his apprentice?"

Shizue looked around for an excuse. When she came up with none, she could only respond with a vague, "Sort of."

There was a barely perceptible incline of his head and a raise of brows. The boy was interested, if barely. "Then that must mean you're training to be a shinobi as well. Do you fight any good?"

"I don't know about that. I never fought with anyone else besides my sensei."

"What does he teach you?"

Shizue's brows furrowed. This was a chance for him to dig into my background. She had to tread lightly with her answers if she didn't want to cause another slip-up. One was more than enough. "Not much. Just chakra control and some ninjutsu. The basics. What does your sensei teach you?" she attempted to redirect the conversation to him.

"I don't have a sensei right now. I took the graduation exam early, which makes me a genin," he casually slipped in as he adjusted his forehead protector. "But it seems there isn't a suitable team for me yet so Professor's been floating me around."

"How old are you now, Kakashi-chan?"

His eyes narrowed at the nickname but he chose to ignore it for now. "Eight."

"Then that must mean the rest of the kids your age should be in the Academy right about now, right?"

"Yes, but I don't see why that would matter—"

"Let's go to the Academy!" she exclaimed as she immediately scarfed down her food and jumped from her seat. There was something she needed to confirm.

"What—"

"I want to see where all the kids are! C'mon, it'll be fun," she insisted as she slammed a wad of cash onto the table before grabbing Kakashi's hand and dashing off, without allowing any room for an ounce of complaint.

* * *

Her hand gripped the rusted metal of the chain-linked fence, staring at the kids in awe as they ran around the yard, chasing each other in what appeared to be a shinobi version of tag. Smiles were stretched across faces as laughter reached the far corners of the playing grounds. This was how children were supposed to be.

Shizue didn't know what kind of child she was supposed to be.

A childish inclination to play with the children on the other side of the fence kept tugging at the back of her mind, however, she tried to suppress the urges. That would be inappropriate, she chided herself. She had to behave like an adult and not lose herself here. She was an outsider, unwelcome to Konoha—unwelcome to this world in general.

A new class was heading out to the yard just as the class they had been watching for the past hour was now gathering to return indoors. This new group was taller and older than the last. Leaning on the fence to get a closer look, the class commenced soon after. Two students were called into a circle drawn into the dirt by their sensei. They stood before each other briefly to link fingers before jumping steps back to engage in a spar under the teacher's supervision. Shizue gasped as they met one another blow for blow. She recognized most of the moves they were using, as well as a couple of village-specific variations such as when one of the students substituted themselves for a log instead of a puddle of water she had often seen done in Kiri.

The battle commenced, and there was a brief intermission as another pair of students approached. Suddenly, one of the students exclaimed, "Look! Up in the tree! It's Kakashi!"

Following the classroom's line of sight, Shizue found Kakashi on the branch hovering above her head. When they had arrived at the Academy prior, the first thing he did was swing up into the tree and pull out a book from his weapon's pouch, instructing Shizue to let him know when she got bored so they could move on to the next location. The muscles around his eyes and the tension on his shoulders relaxed as he read, so she decided to leave him alone as she watched the classes in silent amazement. But now his posture radiated complete annoyance as he tucked his book back into its pouch.

Shizue's heart dropped as she locked eyes onto the boy racing towards them on the other side of the fence. Sporting a pair of orange goggles and a goofy grin plastered onto his face, this image contrasted greatly with the memory of half his body crushed underneath a boulder, Sharingan activated, goggles nowhere to be found.

"This is why I didn't want to come here," Kakashi huffed.

"Oi! Obito! Get back over here! Class is still in session!" his sensei hollered after him, stomping his foot and waving a clipboard in the air.

Obito then took a huge leap and kicked off of the metal frame before crashing right into the foliage. Slowly, his body slid down to the base of the tree where Kakashi was now waiting impatiently. With an imprint of the goggles pressed firmly into his face, the boy leaped to his feet and got into a fighting stance. Turning back towards the yard, he shouted, "Sensei! I want to fight with Kakashi!"

"Don't you need to ask the concerned party first."

"Shut up, Bakakashi! It's about time you showed your face around here. You didn't come the last time Rin invited you to hang out."

"I wasn't interested."

A heart too pure for this world, too hopeful, with only good intentions to save his friends and protect Rin, is what led to his untimely death. His resemblance to Naruto was uncanny, and Shizue's heart ached for what was to come for him. _But she could change it all_ , a voice whispered in the back of her mind. She could change the course of history. She could stop the enemy from slashing Kakashi's left eye, stop the Iwa-nin from kidnapping Rin, stop the falling rock from nicking Kakashi in his blind spot, stop Obito from getting in the way of the boulder. From everything that went wrong leading up to the Kannabi Bridge, she could make right. She could do it all if she was strong enough. She could do it all if she was brave enough to face the ripple effect that would undoubtedly ensue. She could do it all—if only she was a shinobi of Konoha.

And then Shizue realized she was powerless. Being born into Kirigakure and not Konohagakure, she was effectively removed from Naruto's plot points. The world would continue its course without her presence. This may very well be the only time she would ever see these characters, especially Obito. Kakashi would live on to see through Obito's Sharingan, live through years of trauma and guilt, before finally becoming the man she knew from the series. But what would that take? The death of Obito. The death of Rin. The death of many more loved ones.

Even if she wanted to do something, she couldn't. At least not the way she was right now. Observing the exchange between Obito and Kakashi, with one moving about animatedly as he shouted accusations, and the other blatantly ignoring him, Shizue made a decision.

"Obito," the child called, face filled with determination.

Just as the boy was turning to see who had called him, she approached him in four quick strides, spread her arms wide, and wrapped him in a hug. He smelled of earth mixed with laundry detergent, last night's cooking, and something slightly singed. _Survive,_ she wanted to tell him. _Survive, and don't leave Kakashi alone. Be there for him. He won't admit it, and he'll never be able to say it to you directly in the future, but he needs you. He will need you._

Shizue released Obito and took a step back. Golden eyes framed by ebony hair stared at him with conviction, hoping her silent pleas would somehow reach him. This took Obito by surprise. He hadn't noticed her before. Glancing the pint-sized girl up and down, he noted her figure dressed in gray trousers and a kimono top of deep blue, a weapon's holster wrapped around her right leg. Was she an Academy student? She looked as if she could barely harm a fly.

"Uhh, hello to you too? Am I supposed to know you or—"

"Obito, get away from my charge," Kakashi sighed.

"Only if you fight me!" he proclaimed, turning back to the silver-haired boy.

"I'm not fighting anyone."

"How about this! I'll fight this guy," Shizue declared, pointing a finger at Obito. Now, this really took him by surprise. "and if he wins, you have to agree to fight with him, Kakashi-chan!"

If she could at least do this one favor for Obito, no matter how small, it would at least make the tiniest portion of pain in her chest go away.

"Usually when people make bets, they usually place the wager on themselves, not the opposing team. Also, I don't think the Professor or Tsukemono-san would be very pleased if I let you—"

"If you don't, I'll tell Hokage-sama that you were mean to me."

This seemed to displease Kakashi. huffed. "Obito, if you can beat Shizue, I'll let you fight me."

"Fine."

A smile broke across Obito's face, making Shizue's heart swell. "So kid, think you're really up for the challenge of facing future Hokage?"

She returned a smile all the same.

As Obito led Shizue and Kakashi back to his class, and as the Sensei greeted them with a roll of his eyes, and as the classmates cheered Shizue on as she entered the sparring circle, and as she spotted Rin as one of the students among the crowd, that was when the word came to her: lonely. That was what she must have felt, the little emptiness within her that she didn't notice until now, as she was surrounded by warmth within the heart of Konoha—a warmth Kiri was sorely missing.

 _Ah, so this is what the Mizukage meant by loneliness,_ she thought to herself. _This is the feeling of knowing what's to come yet being powerless to do anything about it._

* * *

 **Hey guys! A new quarter just started for me and what better way for me to start the year than procrastinate and work on fanfics. Hahaha. Jokes aside, I really appreciate you for taking the time to read this little ol' story. Reviews are love!**


	4. Obsidian Orbs

"Just because you're smaller than me doesn't mean I'm going to go easy on you," Obito half-joked.

"That's fine by me. Sensei always said I needed a sparring partner closer to my height."

He sputtered and pointed an accusatory finger towards her."Are you calling me short?!"

Just as Shizue opened her mouth to make a snarky reply, the sensei cut in, "Alright. Make the spar sign."

Obito and Shizue made a one-handed sign in unison, indicating their intention to fight. It was the first time fighting with someone other than her sensei. And if the bruises on her body hidden underneath her clothes didn't indicate how much training she went through, then the pain and discipline drilled into her mind did.

"Begin!"

Obito wasted no time in closing the distance. Lunging forward, he sent a punch that knocked Shizue off-kilter. As she wobbled, another throw was aimed at her side which she quickly twisted out of the way, but not before he nicked her in the shoulder. His movements were swift and direct, much like the other students. He came again with a jab to her rib and Shizue gasped. _So this was the fighting style taught in Konoha,_ she noted as she tried to catch her breath. He hit her with closed fists, the power in his punches came from his legs before throwing his entire body into it. A leg came straight for the side of her head, which Shizue blocked with her forearms. Obito undoubtedly had the advantage of size. She would have to change her approach.

Shifting stances, her arms became more fluid and legs limber; the look in her eyes completely changed. Obito paused for a second before charging again with a fist aimed straight for her gut. Shizue blocked, swept his legs out from underneath, and hopped before kicking Obito away as he fell. Pushing off the ground with his hands, the boy spun midair aiming for a kick to her head. Shizue ducked before landing a blow solidly on his chest. The boy wheezed as he toppled over. Avoid and redirect attacks. Use the opponent's force against them. This was a fighting style Shizue was still new to, having only been taught the basics of this defensive style—she was previously training in a mashup of taekwondo and karate—but this proved she was quickly adapting. Brute force, her sensei had said, did not align with the training he had planned for the future.

Just as she was about to jump on top of him and reach for a kunai, Obito rolled out from underneath and grabbed her by the ankle before twisting her around and shoving her down, using pure size to his advantage. _His recovery time's faster than expected_ , Shizue realized. At this point, her sensei would have ended the session, but this was a spar with a peer. He wouldn't cede as easily.

As thoughts were racing through her mind, Obito withdrew a kunai from his leg pouch which Shizue grabbed reflexively. Feeling it slide against the scar along her palm, her eyes widened as she realized what she had done. They both froze. The class gawked. Even Kakashi looked on with a bewildered expression.

"Who grabs a kunai with their bare hand?!" one of the classmates yelped.

Glancing at their faces before returning her attention to the point of contact, Shizue gasped at the discovery. The blood, instead of dripping from the wound, began to slowly crawl upwards along the surface of the kunai. When Obito noticed, he was unable to tear his eyes away as well.

"What... what is that," Obito asked, barely above a whisper.

Snapping out of it, Shizue retracted her hand, slicing her palm once again as she did so. The sensei stepped forward and called an end to the match, with the victor determined to be Obito, although the man wasn't pleased about him drawing blood from a "new student". The sensei knelt and offered a hand to Shizue, however, she hissed in pain as she attempted to stand on her left foot.

"Looks like a sprained ankle," the sensei said as he shot Obito a look. "Obito! This is a guest of Hokage-sama!"

The boy blanched at this as he rose to his feet, stuttering, "S-s-s-sorry. Does it hurt?"

"No duh," Kakashi said with a roll of his eyes. "Way to go, idiot."

Just as the sensei finished wrapping her hand in gauze, Kakashi stepped forward and crouched in front of Shizue, his back to her. He turned his head to the side, a scowl between his brows as he waited for her to climb on.

"Does this mean Obito-kun isn't going to fight Kakashi-kun anymore?" a student off to the side asked.

"No," the silver-haired boy answered. "We have somewhere else to be now."

Obito responded in a daze, "O-Okay. I'll fight you some other time, Kakashi."

Kakashi nodded once and looked to the sensei, who instructed the boy to take the girl to the hospital and get her checked out by a medic. The last thing he wanted was the Sandaime coming after him because he let her get injured under his supervision.

In silence, they made their way through the streets of Konoha, headed towards the hospital. Shizue was sulking as she was being piggybacked by the older boy. Although he did notice her less-than-cheery state, Kakashi ultimately decided to ignore it. If she wanted to act like that, it didn't concern him. His only mission was to chaperone the girl today. The Hokage had called it a C-rank mission, one that he had never done alone as a genin, but this was obviously something that should have been considered D-rank by the amount of babysitting involved. Despite that, it was still a mission and one that he was planning to complete successfully.

Luckily, it was only a minor sprain, and the medic said her ankle would be back to normal in a few days, as long as she didn't put any weight on it. As for her hand, the cut was deep enough to slice muscle, but thank goodness the bleeding had stopped before they reached the hospital. Otherwise, she would never have been able to explain why her blood was acting so strangely. Still, the medic decided it was best not to leave the cut open, hence healing chakra was administered. The child's eyes widened into orbs and her mouth opened in silent awe as she watched the glowing green chakra envelop her hand. It was cool and tingly as it intermingled with her own chakra, weaving protein and collagen together once again. Muscle fibers and blood vessels reattached, capillaries fused together, until her hand was completely healed. She flexed her fingers and rotated her wrist; hand no longer in pain.

Shizue was aware of her not exactly being normal. On the number of occasions where she bled during training, her blood wouldn't behave as normal blood did. It pulsed and moved. It wiggled and clung on to things. And in the instances where she was frantic, it bubbled out of her wounds at an alarming rate. Ryo-sensei had referred to it as a _kekkei genkai_ , whatever that was, and he said this was why it was imperative she learned chakra control now as opposed to waiting for the time she would enter the Academy. Chakra was the key to controlling the blood, he had intoned. If she wasn't careful, she could even die from a papercut.

By the time they left the hospital, the sun had already begun to set and, the two of them returned to the Hokage's office.

Shizue limped over to Ryo-sensei and tackled with a hug, despite her ankle's screams of protest. With dirt smudged across her face and a bruise blooming from each cheek. not to mention the foot wrapped in bandages, the man was shocked when he saw her. A retelling of today's events was given in Kakashi's status report, and the Hokage smiled much more warmly than he had this morning.

"It seems Shizue-kun is a fighter. Facing off against an Uchiha and genin candidate? She'll become an excellent kunoichi in the future." The not-yet-elder nodded in approval. "Of course, some of the credit goes to having a good teacher as well."

Ryohei bowed. "Your words are too kind, Hokage-sama. She still has much to learn as a student, and I'm still learning how to be a teacher."

The Sandaime merely chuckled in response. Kakashi was dismissed from his duties of chaperoning for the day, and Ryohei was given instructions to sit in on a meeting tomorrow morning. What the meeting entailed, she had no clue.

* * *

Shizue and Ryohei stayed at an inn for the night; special accommodations of the Hokage. The bath was lovely, as Shizue hadn't taken one in a while ever since their last stop at the port town. And the meal they had was delicious as well.

"We'll have to stay in Konoha for one more day," her sensei said as he rubbed a towel against the child's wet hair. "I can tell you've been wanting to ask for a while, and it's not so much a secret anymore in the village so it's safe for me to tell you. Tomorrow at the meeting, the Hokage is going to announce Iwa's official declaration of war against Konoha."

There was a heavy pause as Ryohei left the towel hanging around Shizue's neck and stared into the child in the eyes.

"War?" the child breathed. _The Third Shinobi World War._ She was going to participate in it. She was going to get _drafted_ in it. Her peers, _children_ , were going to die in it. _Obito. Rin._

"Shizue-chan, you're a smart girl for your age, but too young to know the meaning of war. The weight of war. I'm going to ask you a question now, and you can't change your answer later, so think carefully." She nodded, and the man closed his eyes before parting his lips, carefully crafting the question. "Can you trust me with your life?"

The child gazed upon the man who shared the same blood as her. With dark wavy locks, deep-set eyes, and shadows cast over his face, she imagined him to bear a resemblance to her father—a face she can no longer recall. In the two months she had known him, he cared for her as if she was his own daughter: feeding her, bathing her, clothing her. He was strict with his teachings but warm with his smiles. Extremely skillful with the katana, she was sure he slaughtered many with the blade of that sword. But what his past entailed, which included a history both with and without father, of the Tsukemono clan, of _kekkei genkai_ , was unknown to her. And that also could be said about the present as well. What was he, a Kiri shinobi, doing in Konoha? Having private talks with the Hokage? What was his stance in the war? Could she trust this man with her life? With her second life?

She returned a question of her own, "Ryo-sensei, can you trust me?"

"Yes," he answered without a moment's hesitation.

"Then can you tell me why we're here?"

"If you know, you won't be safe. Trust me on this."

She wanted to trust him. She wanted to trust him enough to ensure her second life—this life—with him, to even trust him with the fact that she had foresight of the Narutoverse. But that was extremely dangerous. Too dangerous to mess with the plotline, if she hadn't already. And then she decided that this was fair. If Ryo-sensei would keep his secret with her safety in mind, then Shizue would keep her secret as well.

"I trust you Ryo-sensei."

"Do you mind if I ask another question, Shizue-chan?"

The child nodded once.

"If you were given the opportunity, would you like to live here? In Konoha?"

Her heart skipped a beat. That was all she wanted. If she was put into the thick of it all, she could change everything. Nodding eagerly, she hopped onto her feet before pain shot up her left leg like electricity, forcing her to settle down once again. Trying her best to ignore the nerves firing off in her limbs, she begged, "Can we Ryo-sensei? Can we really live here?"

The corners of the man's lips upturned before faltering, and she realized that was not the reason why he was asking. "If our circumstances allowed it, I wouldn't mind. But unfortunately, they don't. I wish my answer could be different, Shizue-chan. But we can't stay."

 _They why bother asking,_ she thought with a pout. Suddenly remembering the events of today, the child held her hand out. "Oh yeah, today I got cut."

He rubbed a calloused thumb against the soft flesh of her palm, running it along the silvery scar trailing into a smooth curve.

"Was this from the fight with the Uchiha boy?"

"Yes."

"Did anyone see?"

"I think only Uchiha Obito did."

"And Kakashi-kun didn't?"

"I don't think so."

Ryohei nodded in understanding. "That's good. I want you to try your best to stay away from this Uchiha Obito during our stay here. We don't want him investigating your unique ability, or even worse mentioning it to others. So it's best to avoid him and hope that he forgets."

"Okay, Ryo-sensei."

"Good girl," he cooed as he ruffled her hair and tucked her into the futon.

"Ryo-sensei, can you tell me about my _kekkei genkai_?"

"The walls are thin, Shizue-chan. Next time. I promise."

* * *

She had a dream that night-of someone gently carding their hands through her hair. The sensation tingled and felt good on her scalp. The fingers paused as she stirred, before brushing strands of hair across her forehead and tucking a lock behind her ear as her eyelids peeled back. Her eyes were unfocused as she glanced around the stark white room. The scent of antiseptic filled her nostrils, and starched-stiff blankets rubbed against her skin.

"You're awake," a deep male voice murmured.

She squinted at the figure hovering over her, unable to make out his features except for the eyes that seemed to peer into the depths of her soul. Fire and ice liquidated into two obsidian orbs; he gazed at her with warmth and fondness. She held a hand out, and noticed they no longer had the pudgy fingers of a four-year-old, but they were now slender, manicured fingers of a woman. An IV drip was inserted and taped to the back of her hand. The man gently held it before tucking it back beneath the safety of her blanket.

She parted her lips to say something, but found her throat parched and voice nowhere to be found. Her muscles gave out then, and she rested her head back on the pillow. The man chuckled. A rich, baritone rumble that warmed her very core.

"Careful now. Here, drink this. Let me know if you want more."

He placed a hand between her shoulder blades and assisted her into a sitting position, rearranging the pillow so she could lean back. Placing a glass of water in her free hand, the woman brought it to her lips and took a sip. The liquid slid down her throat, but there was no temperature, no taste, no relieving effect.

"Guess it's still no good, huh?" The man held a hand to his chin and tilted his head. Dark eyes held her own. "It'll come to you eventually. Just give it some time."

* * *

Shizue awoke at dusk; the setting sun painting the room in brilliant orange and red hues as it dipped below the village skyline. She found a wet cloth draped over her forehead and a basin of water not far from where she laid, realizing she had slept the day away due to a sudden fever.

Rolling out of the futon, Shizue made her way down the hall towards the restroom, stopping in her tracks as she passed by the main room. A man's silhouette was bathed in the golden light, casting shadows over the tatami mats as he wiped down his blade from hilt to tip.

"You're finally awake, Shizue-chan?" This was not the same voice as her dreams.

"Is the meeting over already, Ryo-sensei? Was I asleep all day?"

"You slept like the dead. You're lucky Kakashi-kun was here to take care of you. He left as soon as I came back. Boy's got a pretty mean scowl but he's not a bad kid."

"I know."

Ryohei's eyes lingered on the girl a moment longer before returning his attention to his katana. "Are you feeling better now? Good enough to pack and go? We have to check out before nightfall."

"Can't we stay longer?"

He shook his head. "Mizukage-sama is expecting us."

She hadn't even greeted Kakashi when he came in the morning, not to mention exchange goodbyes when he left. And now she was really leaving Konoha. A part of her hoped that they would stay, just like the stories she recalled from her memories. But there was a drastic difference between fiction and real life. She couldn't even make a promise to see him again. In this era of war, that promise would be extremely difficult to keep.

With finality riddling her motions, she gathered scrolls and kits into her backpack, tossed it over her shoulder, and dragged her left foot behind her as she met her sensei by the door. Locking up, he delivered the key to the innkeeper on the first floor, and they headed for the village gates. Standing at the gates' threshold, she cast a last, longing glance back at the village just as the sun completely dipped below the horizon and plummeted them in nightfall. Hokage Rock forever loomed over the village. Staring out into the distance, seeing into the past, into the future, towards all directions, including the village of Bloody Mist that she would soon return to.

A few miles in, and Shizue could walk no further. Her ankle had tripled in size and the swelling didn't show signs of going down. Seeing this was a suitable time to set camp, Ryohei sparked a fire and instructed his disciple on how to mold water with chakra to cool the heat of her wound, stating this skill would be imperative when she began training with her _kekkei genkai_. The task proved to be challenging since focusing chakra to specific points of one's body was much different from actively pushing said chakra out and into another entity, all the while morphing its shape. She failed the first few times, only succeeding in drenching her foot. Seeing that she was making minimal progress, Ryohei called it a night, not wanting to make her weaker than she already was, with her fever and sprained ankle still weighing her down. With much reluctance, Shizue reined back in her chakra, storing it for future use.

Now that the war was officially underway, it was difficult to get their hands on food, weapons and what would otherwise be everyday items during their trek back to Kiri. They were stopped periodically by patrols during their time in the Land of Woods, asking to see their visas and purpose for venturing into their territory. The attendant stationed at one of the ports by the Mori Sea was even reluctant to let them board the ferry, worried of pirates overtaking the boat to be used in warfare.

Stopping before a bladesmith's shop now that they were on the main island, Ryohei determined that Shizue's combat skills had improved well enough that she could now begin training in the art of kenjutsu, a technique that the Tsukemono's were renowned for integrating into their _kekkei genkai_. Speaking to the bladesmith, Ryo-sensei then and there selected Shizue's first _shinai_. Short in stature to match her height, she gripped the bamboo sword tightly bound in cloth, testing her swings as they made their way deeper into the heartland.

And this was how Shizue now found herself before the Sandaime Mizukage once again, palms slick with sweat as she held her _shinai_ , left foot fidgeting now that it was finally healed. The silver Arowana swam lazily in the oversized aquarium behind the elder, peering at her with its glassy eyes.

"How is everything on the mainland Ryohei-kun?" the Mizukage asked with a less-than-pleasant grin pulling at the corners of his mouth.

"Iwagakure has officially declared war on Konohagakure. This was due to the fact that Iwa had infiltrated the Village of Grass, a breach in the countries' neutrality agreement. Konoha is responding, and they have already begun deploying armed forces to intercept Iwa. As for the Land of Woods, it seems the people are restless and are anticipating Kiri's next moves at this turn of events. We were stopped multiple times for visa checks. They are afraid of turning out like Grass."

"And were you able to pick up any intel on Konoha's war tactics. Did the strategists mention anything to you?"

"They were quite tight-lipped, but it appears they are going to be focusing most of their forces at Kusagakure. However, I was able to pick this scroll off of one of them. A duplicate, most likely. It is the early stages of war and plans always change but," Ryohei dug into his pocket and procured the aforementioned scroll, "I hope you find it useful."

Shizue swiveled her head between her Ryo-sensei and the Mizukage. Did he seriously just swipe documents from the Konoha Intelligence Division for Kiri's use? Who's side was he fighting for?

The elder grumbled as he unraveled the scroll. "Good work, Ryohei-kun. A rough draft of supply lines. This will do very nicely." Setting the item aside, he then shuffled through a stack of files and pulled out a folder. "After going through Tsukemono Daichi's belongings, we found a particular document of interest among his files: an unsubmitted birth certificate, complete with Shizue-kun's name and date of birth. It appears her fifth birthday passed just a week ago."

Ryohei took the document from the elder, half hoping what he said was true, half wanting to accuse the man of forgery. But what he found was nothing but truth. The names of Akane and Daichi were written in ink, fingerprints stamped in blood.

"The deadline to enroll the child in the Academy is two days from now, and class begins a week after. She barely made the cutoff."

Shizue gaped at the man. He couldn't seriously be trying to enroll her in the Academy now? The war just kicked off! _The Third Shinobi World War._

"And even if her true birth date was never revealed," the elder continued, "we would have enrolled her anyways. This is simply for formalities sake. I have high expectations for her, being the last of the Tsukemono's to carry such a _precious kekkei genkai_." The Mizukage's narrow eyes glinted with a knowing look at the pair, and Shizue felt that they both knew then they had no right to refuse. All the gears had been set in place while they were gone. They just needed Shizue to set everything into motion.

And then the elder opened his mouth and flicked his silver tongue. He made it sound as if they needed her, that it was an honor to be desired by Kirigakure, by the Mizukage. She would become an invaluable asset to the village. But in reality, they were going to throw her into the war. And again, Shizue was powerless to do anything about it.

* * *

Much paperwork was done on the day they returned to Kirigakure. The birth certificate was submitted, Academy application was fulfilled despite much reluctance, and an appeal was sent to the Shinobi Housing Department now that Ryohei was a plus one. They were given a tiny apartment with sparse furniture which included a squat table and futons enough for the two of them. It was the very first place they could call their own, although Ryo-sensei wasn't able to spend much time in it. He was mostly away on meetings or missions now that Kiri was actively making plans to wage war on Konoha, although that remained as classified information.

While he was out, Shizue went to the training grounds and worked on her shuriken throwing, brushed up on taijutsu, and practiced kenjutsu. The warm morning breeze felt nice on her face as she ran her hand up and down the cloth of her shinai. Although the padding was to lessen the risk of injury, Shizue still got bruises here and there. But the weight of the weapon in her hands put her at ease. She sliced through the air with a sharp swing. For hours she practiced the action, landing solid hits to the targets. She worked the motions into her muscle memory until her brow was dripping with sweat and her body ache with every movement.

A new drive had consumed her the moment she left Konoha, better yet, the moment she saw Obito. She needed power. How long would she remain powerless in this world consumed by chakra and men starved with the need for _more_. They were the ones that drew children into needless battles, ripped the hearts out of children, left the survivors to struggle into adulthood. She needed power so they could no longer take advantage of her, so she could do something about it. But what she would do once she had that power, or what even was a marker for such power, she had no clue.

Was she merely an adult stuck in a child's body? Or a child living on borrowed memories from a past life? The line was not well defined.

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 **Hope you guys enjoyed the update! On another note, quite a curious dream she had, don't you agree? ;)**

 **Reviews are love~**


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